The BMW M2 & M2 Competition Thread

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Honorary Master

DRIVEN | BMW's M2 Competition 'is one of the best driver's cars on sale' in SA

The real reason BMW's M2 Competition spawned to life is because its engine, the N55, had no place in the Munich-based automaker's line-up.

In an effort to streamline the engine range and curb emissions and consumption. Not that we're complaining.

The M2 Competition is the entry-level M-car from BMW and boy does it look good on paper: Powered by the 3.0-litre turbocharged engine in the M3/M4 but has been de-tuned to produce only 302kW and 550Nm.

Top speed, as per the German gentleman's agreement, is 250km/h. With the M Drivers package (R29 200), that number increases to 280km/h.

All that power is channeled exclusively to the rear wheels (like a proper BMW performance car) via a seven-speed dual clutch gearbox which our test unit was fitted with. And it rides on new 19" wheels shod with fat rubber.

Price? For the six-speed manual version costs R972 029 and the M-DCT version retails for R1 026 505.

The engine-mapping has three settings: Sport plus being the most aggressive and addictive.

This car feels exciting, alive and most importantly playful. Stomp on the uprated brakes and it conveys firmness and confidence in scrubbing off the the stratospheric speed you've just climbed up to.

It's a proper driving machine that admittedly can suffer from a harsh ride on bad local roads, but that's about the only criticism I can think of.

In isolation (ie without considering the less-practical Porsche Cayman), the Competition is easily a future classic, but if you plan on storing and not driving, forget about it.

Honorary Master

The eagerly awaited BMW M2 CS will be making its debut fairly soon at the 2019 Los Angeles Auto Show in November. After many months of teaser shots and testing at the Nürburgring, you will very soon be able to order the car for yourself. Having said that, though, you better make that phone call to your local BMW dealer pretty quickly because apparently, not too many of these more hardcore M2’s will be made.

Exact numbers are not known at this stage, but it looks like the car will be fairly limited with only a smidge more than 2000 M2 CS’s that will be roaming the streets around the world. The modern-day 1M? Well, that will have to be seen but by looking at the M2 CS it would certainly seem so.

The car will be powered by the S55 3.0-litre, six-cylinder motor pushing out 450 German horses (336 kW) and 550 Nm of torque. As with most M cars, drive will be sent to the rear only and gears will be changed via a 7-speed dual-clutch ‘box. The M Sport Exhaust System has been tinkered with as well to ensure an even raspier BMW growl.

Honorary Master

Something to note: AC Schnitzer reckons the standard M2 Competition is such a convincing driver’s car that it would have sold at a healthy rate even were the asking price well in excess of the current £51,030. It would therefore argue that an M2 Competition-based ACS2 Sport – one with a good smattering of modifications, if not all the available options – is still good value.

Another thing to consider is that not only are AC Schnitzer’s changes offered under warranty, but also the underlying BMW warranty isn’t necessarily voided by the new parts or software.

But here’s one more thing: you can buy the new Porsche Cayman GT4 for the price of the car we’ve driven here. Admittedly it’s nothing like as practical as the Schnitzer and won’t feel quite as unique on the road, but that’s the level of dynamic talent available on this budget and it’s a level the ACS2 Sport doesn’t match.

A factory M2 Competition is also a more sweetly rounded car than the AC Schnitzer and would put its softer chassis to better use on British roads.

But none of this is to say there's no place for the tuned car. The engine and suspension modifications work well and add around £8000 to the basic M2 Competition price. If you go with those but keep the 19in factory-fit wheels, you’d be left with a four-seat coupé that's faster than a 911 Carrera S, comes chock-full of character, rides with good fluidity at speed and is well suited for track days, all for less than £60,000.